What is a patent
A Patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention to the patentee by the government. The validity of the patent is normally 20 years from the date of filing of the patent application.
What is a Patent Search?
Patent Search or Patentability search is an exploration of existing patents or any literature or research documents or products which are closely similar to the subject matter of the invention. This is also called Prior Art Search. Patent Pending applications, Registered Patents, Expired Patents, abandoned patents and even literatures or documents are taken under peep of patent search. The prior art can be explained that, anything in public domain, patented or not patented, that may establish whether an invention is original or not. This Patent Search is the first step to proceed for patenting process. This will help you to understand is there any similar inventions already in existence. Conducting the patent search in various countries website portals and other websites like research papers or product searches will help to find the matching document to the invention or idea.
Why should we conduct a Patent Search
It saves your Time and cost. It is not advisable to file for a patent application unless the invention deserves for a patent that it must be novel, inventiveness and capable of being made in an industry. So, conducting patent search will give you the information about invention development, novel portion of the invention and inventing something different than the other patents or inventions. Further, the applicant or inventors are sharing their inventive knowledge across the public through patents resulting to know the new inventive feature of the invention. This will prove the quality of the invention to deserve the chances of getting patent. Patents in the public domain will be more helpful for further research.
How to do patent search in 6 steps
- Find your key words about the invention to find the relevant patent or the patent to near to your invention
- Use the key words in the net surfing to find relevant prior art.
- Use Google patent search and other government or non government public search portals.
- Use Google image services to get products nearer to the invention or exact product or prior art product.
- Search technical publications, journals and project reports related to your invention.
- Use subscription based software platforms to conduct prior art search.
Different types of patent search:
Patentability Search
The patentability search is nothing but a novelty search. Here we are expecting our invention must be new, the new invention does not be covered in the public domain like patents, products or non patent literatures, journals etc. The scope of the invention also bordered or altered or changed to a certain level based on patentability search.
Infringement Analyses
This is a search about any product or a process is infringes upon an existing patent claims of someone who patented before the product or process launch. The claims of patented article or process is analyzed with infringing product or the process, a damage analysis report may be prepared based on this search.
Freedom to Operate Search.
This is a kind of search for the people who undergone commercializing a product or a process with the risk of potential barrier upon patented inventions. This search will include a product search or a process search at a particular country, validity of patents, claim analysis, legal status of patents etc.
What are the Information needed to conduct the Patent Search
The applicants or inventors are expected to produce written explanation of their inventions briefly. The disclosure may contain the following.
- Description of the invention
- Idea/Methodology/Process in step by step manner
- Drawings / products (if applicable/available)
- Flow charts
- Previous search documents (if applicant/ inventor end available)